New set of specifications and US price for the retro-styled Nikon FX DSLR camera (D4H?)

I feel pretty comfortable with the information I have published so far on the rumored Nikon full frame retro-styled camera. Today I received another list of specifications from a new source (take them with a grain of salt) that slightly differ from what I have already reported (different battery, LCD screen size, etc):

Will be called Nikon D4H

Will use EN-EL15 battery

3" LCD Screen

EVF/OVF hybrid viewfinder

Can be used with true mirror lock up for non-AI lenses while still allowing viewing through view finder.

New hybrid mechanical shutter

No AA filter

No video in low power mode but otherwise it will have video (?)

Expeed 3A processor

Price: $3,000 for body only, $3,300 for a kit with the new 50mm f/1.8G lens

Many of you are missing the point of this product. It’s not meant to REPLACE a pro Nikon shooter’s gear, it’s meant to AUGMENT it. Simply put, this is meant to be a fun camera for professional/enthusiast photographers. This market has EXPLODED in the past few years – Fuji X, Olympus, even Leica – and Nikon has gotten almost none of that money.

For someone like me, who has a full suite of pro Nikon bodies and lenses and $5k worth of Fuji X-stuff, this thing could be a wet dream. A camera that looks as cool and non-soccer mom as my XP1/X100s, granted isn’t as small, but that could also use my awesome FF Nikon lenses? And that could conceivably be used for work (weddings) too, unlike the Fuji gear? Sold sold sold.

anxiously_waiting

Very well said…

Eric Duminil

I totally agree with you.

But what’s the problem with Fuji gear at weddings? I had very good experience with my X100s. I was afraid at first, and only tried it as a backup camera or as second shooter. I’m more than happy with the results (ISO 6400, skin tones, 1/1000s flash sync, stealth,…) and use it more and more along my Nikon bodies.

http://www.blueswanmedia.com/ BlueSwanMedia

LOL I should definitely talk to you then. I’ve taken it along on my last couple of weddings, I’ve worn it strapped to my chest as a third, ‘panic camera,’ used when I change environments quickly and my two d700s (usually with a 24G and 85G on them) are set for where I was two minutes ago. I’ve gotten some keepers with it, sure, especially during the ceremony when it’s sooooo nice and quiet, but when I’ve tried using it as one of my two primary cameras I can’t help feeling like I’m using it not because it makes superior images (D700 + Sigma 35 1.4 or Nikon 24 1.G is superior image-wise IMO), but because
1) I think it looks cool and
2) it’s small and light, and so easy to carry.

So in other words, I feel like if I’m using that instead of a D700 with a nice prime, I doing so because I’m either vain or lazy, and therefore shortchanging my client. Using it as a third camera sidesteps some of this angst, but it seems kind of needless at that point. Three cameras is a bit excessive, no?

Pat Mann

For shooting with prime lenses as you do, I think three bodies is a very good idea and often used in film days when our data cards only held 36 shots and we had to switch bodies to switch ISO. 24+35 (the 23.5 on the Fuji) + 85 sounds perfect.

http://www.blueswanmedia.com/ BlueSwanMedia

Ah thanks Pat, now I don’t feel like such a weirdo! I have to admit there have been times when the x100s as a third camera has come in handy. This is one of my favs, my other cameras weren’t even out of the bag yet.

Eric Duminil

We’re in different positions. I have a D90+85 1.4 and a D90+11-16 2.8, so the X100s fills in the gap nicely, and has better IQ than my Nikon bodies.
Sure, if you have the luxury of having 2 FF with great primes in the same focal than the X100, it might not be worth it.

X100s has some advantages in comparison to the D700 : 16 MP is better for group shots, 1/1000s x-sync, optical viewfinder to be better prepared when the subject enters the frame, direct access to aperture/shutter/compensation and maybe better colour renditions in very low light. The D700 and your lenses obviously have many advantages too, so it’s a tough call.

I find that people tend to smile more in front of a small retro camera than in front of a big intimidating camera. And it’s really funny to see Uncle Bob carrying 6000$ in photo gear, looking down at you with your “toy camera”, but then feeling depressed because you get better results.

As long as you get good results with any system and your clients are happy, I don’t feel like you’d be shortchanging them. Maybe you could try a D700+85 and an X camera at a wedding with low pressure (as a second or third shooter).

This is what they (should) want to accomplish:
– Get the Retro enthusiast Fuji/Sony crowd/marketshare without having to come up with a whole new set of lenses.
–
Fill the D700 gap but not kill other sales: pro FX AND DX shooters
would love to have this cam (16Mp sensor + good autofocusing???

http://www.blueswanmedia.com/ BlueSwanMedia

Exactly. Pros will need to have their D4, D700 what have you, this will be extra money that’s currently going to other manufacturers. That $5k I’ve spent on Fuji products should infuriate Nikon; I’m a dedicated Nikon guy, but those are dollars they didn’t get because their product mix didn’t fit my needs.

catinhat

This misses the point of the D700. D700 is a speed camera perfectly suitable for shooting sports. It also has the grip and form factor appropriate for mounting very large lenses. The new camera AFAICT is deficient on both counts.

mikeswitz

Many posters on this forum seem to think if it doesn’t meet their needs it will not meet the needs of almost everyone else. Therefore Nikon execs are either stupid or incompetent.

bgbs

I get the point, Nikon is trying to make pro’s hip. Pro’s do not care about fun. They care only about whether their camera can get the job done. The purpose of this camera is to target people who want to have fun. Who are those people? Enthusiasts and Hobbyists.

Pat Mann

I think there is just as high a percentage of pro photographers who like to have fun as there is of dentists and secretaries and hodcarriers and camera enthusiasts and financial planners who like to have fun.

John McClane

It sickens me how nit-picky some people are. No matter what, someone will complain this camera isn’t 100% perfect to suit their needs because they feel their needs translate to all photographers. Do people complain this much when the new Ford F-150 doesn’t come with baby seal leather seats? This is essentially what people wanted the D700 replacement to be: D4 sensor in smaller body at half the price. Here it is. But people will complain that it is not the exact body shape they wanted. People will complain about the lack of video features (even though many of the D700 fanboys claim they have no need or desire for video). It’s fps is too slow for some, so they will assume it’s useless for all.

You don’t like it – Don’t buy it. Simple as that. It amazes me how yesterday everyone was excited for this camera saying that Nikon is finally getting back into the game. People made up their own prices in their heads which set their expectations. Now, with a more solid rumor on price established, people are pissed that it may cost more than they had be hoping for (for a whopping 24 hours). If this rumor was never leaked ahead of time and this camera was announced by surprise, people would LOVE it.

http://www.blueswanmedia.com/ BlueSwanMedia

Yes. Thank you. No one gets it.

BroncoBro

Thanks John, you saved me a lot of typing.

mikeswitz

Unfortunately , I read this too late.

bgbs

One small ingredient can do great marvel or great damage to your taste. People do like the camera; they like the specs and all, but the price leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Because $3K is out of reach of most hipsters. Hipsters start buying at $2K and lower. A pro cares less about how hip his gear looks. A pro only looks at the spec sheet, and let me tell you for $3K this camera does not have desirable specs, it does not even match D700 spec wise. So what Nikon is trying to do is sell coolness to the pro market that cares less about being cool. Good Luck with that Nikon.

John McClane

This camera isn’t just about looks; it is about the feeling in your hands and the experience of photography. This camera will take many shooters back in time. The dedicated controls and form factor will instantly fill the head with nostalgia. This camera isn’t for the “pro” market… it is for the true photographers. I expect this camera to give the closest experience to shooting film that digital can provide. If you’ve never shot film on a manual camera, I suggest you give it a try before discounting the appeal for this.

Whether it be $2000 or $3000, this camera will find its home in many photographers’ hands. Hipsters can keep their Holgas.

mikeswitz

I understand you are speaking for all “pros”, but the real question is are you speaking for all “hipsters”. And of course what about the ubiquitous “”pro-hipster”?

Andrew

You have represented your view. But what about the 99 other people who also have views? And besides, what are the desirable specs you speak of?

Aldo

yippie kai yay …

Andrew

You have a point. I remember when the D800 was released, nobody complained about the price at $3,000. They complained about the pixel count, that 36 MP was just too much, and oh how it would need a faster computer and how much storage space it will eat up. When Nikon came out with the D4, the 16 MP sensor was perfect, but people complained about the price at $6,000. Well, Nikon has added the D610 to the stable which fills out the mid range in terms of FX pixel count and provide a compelling value for a full frame camera at $1,999. Now the new retro full frame camera will take the D610’s superb high ISO performance to the next level. In my opinion, there is nothing more to complain about. But then…

http://Flickr.com/inthemist InTheMist

Hm, this rumor feels wrong.

Still love the concept!

Kevin

interesting camera. I was kind of hoping they created something that is closer to the price of the D600… I just want to try full frame but don’t want to get too invested in it. Sony FF mirrorless is at a great price, but the Zeiss lenses are a bit on the expensive side.

MrSkelter

People don’t understand this camera because it’s a gift from Nikon to the hardcore shooter. It may only survive a single generation and then like the FM3A be lusted after by those who “get it”.

It’s Nikon’s Leica. Optimized for legacy glass and manual focus. Capable of being used for very log periods in low power mode by those of us who don’t “chimp” each shot. That means screen off with all controls operated manually on dials (oh happy day!).

The build quality will be supreme. It’s made to be dropped and wet. Ideal for photojournalists. With the 50 1.8 many people will be complete. Nikon’s Leica. Many of us will buy manual glass to go with it. The hybrid viewfinder should make focusing a pleasure, or if it’s not hybrid, it may offer changeable screens we can select to suit our needs.

It’s going to be light – despite its body weight – because it’s going to be all you carry with perhaps one other lens.

To those who want a Sony it’s going to look weirdly spec’d and expensive. To those who know how much a body with manual controls costs to make well in Japan it’s going to be a bargain.

When 4k video is common and super high MP bodies are everywhere this body will offer what others do not. Toughness, direct access to the five controls you need and speed.

It’ll be as loved and divisive as any Leica. I can’t wait. It’s pure high end. Watch the pro shooters salivate over something so simple.

but this also means that a lot of potential buyers would go the sony way which wouldn’t be great news for Nikon.. i suspect that the timing of this announcement is tied to the Sony announcements..

Marc W.

Well, that can happen. I mean with the release of the D3 and following models, Nikon got their professional photographer’s count back up. Check out the cameras at the Olympics before and after the D3 release. Way more long black zoom lenses in the photo pits.

Mike

To quote a line from the 70’s Mel Brooks film “Blazing Saddles”: “Mr. Taggert, you use your mouth ‘perttier’ than a 20 dollar wh0re”.

Very well said. This should be stickied to the top of this forum.

BroncoBro

you talk like it’s already been released and you got yours. I hope you’re not too disappointed when this camera is actually announced.

Alistair Maitland

I like what you’re saying. But I’m really hoping it’s not going to be NIkon’s Leica. I want it to be competitive with the Fuji x100s of the world in terms of price and functionality. SD cards? sure, if you can fit a Multi-CAM 3500FX autofocus sensor in there. Coupled with that 16Mp sensor and manual controls. I’m in.

ronin

So it’s going to be light yet heavy.

mikeswitz

No its going to be “hipster, yet “pro”!

ronin

A $3000 gift?

aarif

99% it’s just someones fantasy specs

http://Flickr.com/inthemist InTheMist

I’m with you Aarif. I’m down with the rumors over the last 24 hours, but this feels strange.

Aldo

Maybe video? I’ll take that and keep hoping. I also hope is 3k tops.

Dave Ingraham

Sigh…priced out of my reach

MB

D letter nomenclature would make a lot of sense to me …
DF … digital full frame
DX … well we all know what this is
DO … nobody wants to know about them but Nikon makes 1″ sensor ILC
DH … digital hybrid bastards
DM … digital medium format
DS? … digital mirrorless full frame (as in legendary Nikon rangefinder S…)

EAJ

DOH … Homer Simpson

aarif

99% it’s just someones fantasy specs

Ryan Hulvat

My prediction is that it’s truly styled after the FM2 and is all manual with a mechanical shutter. A hipster’s dream. Nikon 4FM?

John

D4 hipster?… how stupid are you fools? Do you not remember the D2H?
You don’t have to be a hipster to appreciate classic controls from the past. Not everyone wants fat plastic blobs with convoluted menus and “swiss army” style functionality.

J. Dennis Thomas

It seems like everyone is jumping onto this “hipster” bashing trend with retro styled cameras.

Here’s a newsflash for the uninformed. Hipsters don’t shoot DIGITAL. They shoot film. Real hipsters don’t even use instagam or hipstamatic, because it’s not “cool”

Just because someone appreciates classic styling doesn’t mean they are a “hipster”. I’m beginning to think that most people here don’t even know what a hipster is. It’s just a good pejorative to toss around when they don’t like something.

mikeswitz

That’s okay they don’t know what a “pro” is either.

J. Dennis Thomas

Everyone’s a “pro” here, right?

Aldo

pro as in prophets of photography maybe…

mikeswitz

sounds like a Canadian Indie band.

Clubber Lang

Yes, the hipster thing is stale. “Average Joes” are much cooler than hipsters. The Average Joes who waste hours away reading internet camera forums with a bag of potato chips by their sides. The Average Joes spending a fortune on cameras to take pictures of muffy the siamese cat while the people that matter to them wish they would make eye contact with them and knowledge their presence instead of spending their time arguing with internet strangers about shit that doesn’t matter….screw them hipsters

I don’t care if it is called the Nikon Vomit, If it is reasonably durable and has a high shutter life and feels ok in the hands then I want it. I am so tired of lugging around bulky D3s’s and a D700/800 etc. doesn’t cut it for me for a few various reasons. Buying some new SD cards isn’t a big deal if that is the way it goes…Rendering my 4 firewire compact flash readers useless is more of a hit… After all the D4 made you buy into the trial XQD format… such a shame about the D4’s mismatched guinea pig test slots and that is why I don’t want one aside from the size/price.

Elvir Redzepovic

3000$ !
Hello Sony A7 here I come.

Marc W.

It was good having you as a fellow Nikon user. Please let us know how well it works out in Sony land.

Aldo

bah bye

Jet

You will spend alot more money buying into lenses that are still not available, lower quality and not a good variety! and if you use an adaptor for other brand lenses, performance is compromised as well! With Nikon you have one of the world’s largest collection of lenses, cheaper and no adaptor necessary! Nikon sold its 75 millionth lens last year! hahahaha they should pay me for this infomercial!

BroncoBro

good riddance

stoooopid

Damn. Price too high for what I would get out of it. I can see how others might get more than me. I hope the make a DX version at a lower cost. That would be cool. I mean why bother to create a unique hybrid viewfinder like this and only use it on 1 body.

Marc W.

It usually starts with one. For example, the D3 was the first and only one introduced at the time, with a FF sensor.

stormwatch

I really hope that those specs are just a fantasy specs….or if not…something really fishy is going on in Nikon’s development division.

But there is a hope, because the battery and the video is changed to YES and that’s a really good starter. But incorporating the old DX AF with low resolution old 16mpix sensor, just 5.5 FPS and old Expeed 3 processor is a game with future for Nikon. Yes, and I hope, really hope that this rumoured 3″ LCD screen will be detachable, because it is an OOOOOOLD OOOLD OLD Nikon patent…half decade old I think.

I hope that Nikon has pushed this false rumors in order to stir things a little bit (well a HUGE DEAL OF IT!) and the new camera will be the all time legend, but….there is always but.

boba

I know the name of this new camera “LOOSER $3000″

bgbs

loser, not looser. Two different words with two different meanings.

Marc W.

I think boba was meaning that your pants will start feeling looser after shelling out $3k.

Marco

Anyone else think it’s going to be shaped like a Pentax K-01?

http://www.monsterbento.com/ Justin Jayubo

I don’t know.. could be worse.. like an enlarged Nikon 1 camera.

Chris Rogers

I called it last post lol. 3-4 k is what I said and bam! Hopefully it goes down to more of a 2k range.

relivelastnight

if that price is bigger than d800e then ill get me another d800e

Marc W.

As stated below, Yeah, because they are the same type of camera.

Aldo

ever wanted a d4 with your d800? well here is your chance.

relivelastnight

by the way, people moving to sony and spending almost the same amount, will that save money? new camera, lenses, probably memory due to sony makes its own.? wondering.

mikeswitz

Don’t try to dissuade them.

bgbs

24 and 36mp sounds like a much better deal to me.

JM

Did anyone actually read the post above before ranting and screaming hysterically about the price and about how they’re going to move to Sony?

“Today I received another list of specifications from a new source (take them with a grain of salt)”

Aldo

means you have to add salt cuz the specs are tasteless…flavorless…

Aldo

They should have added expeed 4 1080 60p video. 7fps (at the very least) and an improved focusing system at that price.

Neopulse

I kind of agree. I have this inkling feeling that cameras that are sporting the Expeed 3 are “shelved prototypes” that didn’t get their calling to the market. Kinda like the patents, most won’t ever be produced. But, then there are some that are made, but will never see the light of day. I think this one in particular was pressured to be made knowing how the market has evolved and the fact that it might be surprisingly cheap to produce in comparison to the other upper DSLR markets.

Erik

FM3D? FE3D? F3D?

bgbs

I guess the honeymoon is over. We no longer need to continue salivating over this announcement. If $3K is true then its time for me to go back salivating over X100s.

JM

Which announcement?

bgbs

you know what I mean, the upcoming announcement. Once Nikonrumors establishes a spec and price, days before the announcement, they pretty much got everything right, at least thats whats been the track record.

JM

But if you read the post it actually says that you should “take it with a grain of salt”, yet people are taking it literally.

bgbs

There are two clues, if one of them is true, than it will certainly be $3k. One of those clues is the name of the camera (D4H) which is a flag-ship name, that carries a flag-ship price.

flightofbooks

It doesn’t really make much sense to give a whole new body a designation like that.

Either the name is right and the body isn’t actually the retro beast we’ve been lead to believe, or the name is wrong and so (probably, hopefully) is the price.

Dave Ingram

The X100s is a nice little camera, love shooting with it, simplicity in design, good build quality – I’m waiting to see the final price on Nikon’s offering and whether or not Fuji brings out a FF as rumoured in 2014.

intergalactic_turkey

3k for body? fail!

Aldo

sounds like an expensive prostitute….

smac

It’s a damned expensive toy, don’t you think?

Marc W.

You, I need to buy you a beer.

Killroy™

sounds like an in-expensive prostitute….

iamnomad

FM4

Aldo

I looked up patience in the dictionary : They had a picture of the nikon rumors’ admin.

smac

Damned expensive toy, don’t you think?

JM

Dunno. None of us know how much it will cost and what it can do yet.

bgbs

Right. If they name this thing D4H, than it will certainly be $3k or above.

R!

I know Xmas is comming so here is my wishlist:

Will be called Nikon FHD 1

Will use AA type lithium battery interchangeable with regular AA

3.2″ LCD Screen

EVF/OVF hybrid viewfinder and some kind of microprism

Can be used with true mirror lock up for non-AI lenses while still allowing viewing through view finder.

No video in low power mode ok but otherwise it will have video 60p (1080 & 4k)
Expeed 4 processor

Price: $2,000 for body only, $2,300 for a kit with the new 50mm f/1.8G lens

Black, Black/Sliver and Chrome version will be available and titanium version with safir glass special edition.

R!

…available in 16, 24, 36 MPX same body with interchangeable sensors and ND, grad ND ,yellow ,orange ,red ,green ,blue filter all variable plus AA & infrared ,ultraviolet remoovable in a special kit box all together with the sensor.
The sensor box beeing usable on a FM2 like body or in a F6 like body with new real full frame 55 AF points all cross with 5 centers sensitive with F1.4 lenses down to -4 without assist lamp.

WIFI NFC GPS 4G USB 3.0 cf sdxc

Sundra Tanakoh

I like the way your drugs make you think. Did you get them from a Doctor or the kid in front of the school?

CRB

Please someone explain to me…FF, 16mp, mirror(?), retro and at the selling point of 3000usd? so to have a FM2 digital alike you have to pay 3000usd, is that it? is the hybrid viewfinder alone worth this price?

Ryan McBride

You cannot think of it that way. They are going for the look and feel of the FM2 or F3(depending on who you’re asking)… not trying to exactly replicate it. It’s digital and needs to fit with the times as well. I’d say, for a smaller more compact DSLR that is full-frame, as a photojournalist.. smaller is better.. these big cameras make my job a living hell. People think I am putting a computer in their faces.

CRB

I agree, even if photojournalism is dying right now. My point is Nikon believing they will sell these cameras. I dont think it will sell well. The point of these cameras is the lack of mirror, making it smaller. In US mirrorless are alreday not selling that well being one of the reasons the price point. Not many photojornalists will buy at this price point. IMO

Ryan McBride

Well.. at least we know that price point isn’t true, for the moment. Guess we’ll see. Thx for the conversation guys.

flightofbooks

All that being true, and I agree with it fully, there’s still no way to justify $3000 for all that when an X100s sells for 1200 and an X-pro kit for under two grand. A comparitively low MP full frame sensor just isn’t worth another 1500-2k. Not when Sony’s making a similarly styled full-frame camera for $2000 with the kit lens.

So, either the price from this new source is wrong, or Nikon screwed up.

lobsterhat

Why Paris? How about Nice? Cannes?

Marc W.

Nice cans? Did you not see the photo?

lobsterhat

Exactly.

Robert K

The D4H name is probably for the expected upgrade of the D4 before the Winter Olympics.

ronin

I certainly hope it is priced at $3000. Because then I won’t even be tempted.

$1400 and I’ll have to have it.

rich

$3k, f-that. that is all I read and no longer exited.

Admin do Nikon even listen to you. You got the biggest crowd of Nikonians aground telling you what we want from Nikon. We want a retro (even mirrorless aps-c or larger, but bigger then the 1 cx or 4/3 sensor) camera for under 2k, f-mount would be nice but not necessary, but with full functioning adapter is ok. Something in line of the sony a7 or fuji. D4h is a rich man toy. Smaller mirror-less body would be nice too.

mikeswitz

I’m glad you told everyone what “we” want. You must be a Hipster. You do know this is a RUMOR site don’t you.

rich

if I was a hipster I would have a $3k retro camera taking street photography, even thought that would be pretty cool/ hip.

mikeswitz

If you were a hipster you would be shooting with a pin hole camera. My point was you have no idea what “we” want. Many of the posters here are calling this a camera for “hipsters” which makes about as much sense as your original post.

rich

I will be a hipster or whatever you want to label others if it was around $2k. Ok, my first paragraph “We” is an “I”. But the point is “we” and “I” can express what we like on nikon rumors. NR can survey and tally all the “I” info for “We” to Nikon.

Marc W.

No, I want a FF FM2n/F3 style camera and not a DX or smaller sized.

ronin

People love the FM2 and want something like it.

This is not a retro camera. It is a fake retro camera.

If we love the FM2 so dang much, we can buy one on ebay with a 50mm for 5% of the price of this poseur. 5%. with said FM2 being a real retro camera.

Hipsters will want no part of this new camera. For one, they have no money. But mainly, a hipster will want the real thing. When I show up with this new camera trying to be hip, they will snicker at me.

And I, in my shame, will know they are right.

per

Yes, but that’s not the point. The hipster knows that you’re not a hipster. You know that as well. But the man in the street does not know. And this camera is for street photography, that is – for shooting strangers in the face. So when you shoot a stranger with this camera he will look at it, realize that you’re a hipster and smile at you.

ronin

Agreed it is important to shoot pictures of strangers randomly walking down the street.. Props if you shoot from the waist to be arty, but mostly so you don’t get slapped. But it’s not the boring cliche pictures of people I don’t care about that I care about.

What I care about is that other people will see me taking sneaky shots, and know that not only am I artsy, but more importantly that I have a mass produced consumer item that I paid too much money for, and they don’t. One of those people will be a hipster who knows I am a fraud but will still envy me because I had so much money to throw away, thus trumping him and his stupid brassed out FM2.

Old Coot

So when you shoot a stranger with this camera he will look at it, realize that you’re a hipster and wrench your $3000 machine from your neck and break your face with it… as he should. “Street” photographers…. Bleh!!!! Intrusive, obtrusive, obnoxious bums who call themselves artists. Bullshit.

flightofbooks

Well it’s nice that even though you clearly have no idea about the history of photography as an art form you still found a way to contribute to the conversation.

flightofbooks

Hipsters have no money? What planet are you living on.

The Vole

>Hipsters have no money?
Fake Hipsters have money for Fake Retro Cameras

flightofbooks

I don’t think you know what a hipster is.

VIP

The rumored camera is getting uglier very day….. Sigh….

Ryan

But….What if it really deserves the price tag? Mabe superior to D800 perhaps?

toby reynolds

And that’s me out for now. Looks like a great camera, too pricey for me

Pat Mann

D4H should be faster, with electronic shutter perhaps, will require new processor. Would be a logical pre-Olympics release, but doesn’t make sense for the name for this camera. H has been the high-speed version, X the higher-resolution version, S the update in the same body structure.
The price sounds to me exactly right for where Nikon would place the camera that’s being described.

Weapons Grade Fox

sounds like bogus to me. something out specked by a D600 being put in the D4 line. i call bullshit

Neopulse

To be honest, the people ranting on the very nice looking and appealing a7/R series should take a step back. Nikon makes some nice glass and even Canon. I think people have to look more at the lenses that you’ll be expecting to buy and what’s in your wallet before taking that plunge because even then Sony has it’s quirks too, it’s not perfect. And for the love of god I keep reading in forums that Sony lenses are genuine “Zeiss” lenses.

Clubber Lang

Talk about over-inflation. Are they charging some sort of a mysterious tax on this… maybe a WTF tax. wish it had a retro price tag. I bought an AE-1 in highschool at a pawnshop and it was the last camera I ever purchased until the digital age. AHH the good ol’ days…..

Mars Observer

If that’s truly the price, it’s like Nikon is giving up (on being competitive). I hope that’s not really the price.

RetroStyle

I knew hybrid would mean OVF/EVF combo!

mfletch

D4H seems like a weird name for such a camera. Time will tell. I’m assuming it will AF with AF-s lenses, though bundling with an AF-s lens doesn’t guarantee it will AF. Anyone expecting this to be a bargain model has been asleep for the last 4-5 years of Nikon announcements and price points. If the specs are accurate, this will be a niche item for enthusiasts and the price will reflect. I will be shocked if it is a penny less than $3000.

Reilly Diefenbach

$3000? Bwahhahhah! Good luck with that.

minivini_1275

This has been VERY disruptive to my day. I’ve checked in here over a dozen times in hopes of a tangible update!

CZ Jena

I bet that Nikon totally f*cked brilliant idea and new camera will look like Sony A7 but in retro colours.

Thom Hogan

I’m not surprised at the confusion. There seems to be a lot percolating at Nikon at the moment, and I’m not sure all of it will make it to market. I know of at least two mule prototypes that seem to have been abandoned.

If you consider all the things Nikon needs to do, I think you’re going to hear lots of product rumors in the coming months, from pro-ish Coolpi to refreshing the D4 line.

Meanwhile, the market is slowly pivoting in a dangerous way for Nikon, so they’ll need to be faster and more nimble in what they put out. Worse still, next year is a Photokina year, where everyone tries to be disruptive and catch the others off guard.

But every camera maker’s problem is still simple: you need more than pre-orders on launch hype to carry you forward. While a lot of folk are poo-pooing the D5300, to some degree that’s exactly what everyone needs to do: take a good selling product and give it enough of a refresh every 12 months to keep it selling. All these random stabs at new types of gear, new lens lineups, new styles of camera (or retro) could turn out to be more faddish than sticky.

Nikon has 90m lens users, 30m DX users, and maybe 2m+ FX users, all of which want to see that they didn’t buy into dead ends.

CRB

In your opinion Thom, based on these specs, a failure or a success?
About dead ends, im still waiting on DX wide lenses…28mm, 35mm EQ…for a long long time…

Thom Hogan

The camera I think is coming next is…well…interesting. I keep hearing all those “where’s the D700 update” folk still yapping, and to some degree this might be their camera. Except that it’s simply not what they expected, so maybe not. Nikon’s in a tough position. The current Dxxx cameras are highly evolved and set expectations very specifically and they have progressed upwards in sensor, too, to the point where we’re at 36mp (we went 6, 10, 12, 12FX, 36FX, which is quite a move). So anything that isn’t an exact progression isn’t going to look right at first; it’ll have to have something unique and tangible to get people interested. The rumors have told you at least three of the attributes of the camera (I won’t say which ones ;~), and it’s clearly off the Dxxx progression even from just those things, so what is it?

That, I think, will be Nikon’s biggest problem: it’s not the pro body (integrated grip), it’s not the Dxxx progression, it’s not another consumer FX. So that means we have four fairly distinct different things in FX, and most users consider at least two of the FX things not complete (no D4x, no D800h). So giving the PRO group another FX body to consider when we really want body pairs that make sense means Nikon is trying to expand the FX user base, not satisfy the existing one.

That problem will begin to compound the longer we wait for a D4x, and to a lesser degree a D800h (16mp sensor in D800 body with higher frame rate). It’s not good to amass a big following that provides great word of mouth and then not deliver what they want. Apple found this out the hard way a few times in their earlier history. They seem far better at keeping the faithful happy these days, though the new MacPro is wicked overkill.

If I were in charge of Nikon, by the end of 2014 I’d want the following FX lineup:
* D310, D610 consumer pair, the price leaders
* D800h, D800x (E basically) prosumer pair
* D4h, D4x pro pair, with D4 refreshed

Throwing the rumored camera into the mix is fine, though it’s not quite what people asked for. Technically, what Nikon should have done is:
* FMD1 small, as close to mechanical body as possible

And then there’s the DX line where Nikon has basically made the classic mistake of taking it far too much for granted. Lots of nibbles being taken out the Canon/Nikon pie at a time when nibbles hurt.

I continue to be astonished by Apple’s so clear, direct hand in building a bottom to top portable line: iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad Mini, iPad Air, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 13/15. That’s one hell of an accomplishment: recognizable style, near seamless move from one step to another, covers pretty much the full price range, gives you multiple options that all work together. Nor are they crippling the low end products in software (firmware in the camera world). Compare that to where we are with Nikon after this next announcement.

Mars Observer

Interestingly, Sony, Apple and Canon made the list of the 100 Most Loved companies (loyal customer base), but Nikon didn’t.

Thom Hogan

Nikon’s a little small in customer base to get onto those lists. They’d have to knock it out of the park with their 20m/year customers to get onto those lists.

BayouBill

“take a good selling product and give it enough of a refresh every 12 months to keep it selling”

ala Apple

Thom Hogan

Actually, Apple designs ahead of the curve and then keeps their products right up at that edge as much as possible. That’s the way you defend your turf. Nikon could learn a lot from them.

FredBear

Given 2 identically specked bodies, one as per the current SLR norm and one retro (mechanical) styled bodies what would you prefer?

Thom Hogan

The D800E ;~).

Nikon’s in a tricky place. Trying to bring more folk into FX means two things: better options, and better pricing. I’ve already staked out what I think Nikon should do for those of us pros already there: D4h and D4x pairing, D800h and D800x pairing. We need the flexibility to go either way (speed or resolution) without having to pick up a body that’s configured different, has controls in different places, uses different batteries and accessories, etc.

For the amateur, enthusiast, prosumer, the needs and desires are different.

You’re not going to bring more folk into FX with a D4x or splitting the D800 into two distinct models. But you might by having some additional models that have some unique features/designs.

Probably a better question would be: “Can you imagine situations where you’d want to use the new body?” The answer to that is yes, I can. So in the sense that that it gives me some additional options, I’m all for it.

FredBear

Thanks for answering Thom. Appreciated.

I know you’ve often run surveys but sometimes left reading the results and wondering ‘what does Thom think/need’.
I know you’ve voiced your preferences before but maybe in ‘bits and pieces’ on various entries.

You’re analysis of the pros and cons from your viewpoint are always welcome and covers things the rest of us might have not considered.